Her first frute.
Lybrares.
And as touchynge the porcyon that my ladye Helisabeth, the kynges most noble syster hath therin, whych is her trāslacyon. Chefely haue she done it for her owne exercyse in the frenche tunge, besydes the spirytuall exercyse of her innar sowle with God. As a dylygent & profytable bee, haue she gathered of thys floure swetnesse both wayes, and of thys boke consolacyon in sprete. And thynkynge that other myght do the same, of a most fre christen harte, she maketh it here cōmen vnto them, not beynge a nigarde ouer the treasure of God. Math. 25. The first frute is it of her yonge, tender, and innocent labours. For I thynke she was not full oute xiiii. Yeares of age, at the fynyshynge therof. She haue not done herin, as ded the relygyouse and anoynted hypocrytes in monasteryes, couētes and colleges, in spearynge their lybraryes from men studyouse, and in reseruynge the treasure contayned in their bokes, to most vyle dust and wormes. But lyke as God hath gracyously geuen it, so do she agayne most frely dystrybute it.
The aged.
Youth.
Tuters.
Soch noble begynnynges are neyther to be reckened chyldysh nor babysh, though she were a babe in yeares, that hath here geuē them. Seldome fynde we them that in the closynge vp of their wythered age, do mynystre lyke frutes of vertu. An infynyte swarme beholde we of olde dottynge bawdes and beastes, that with cōscyences loaden with synne (as S. Paule reporteth them) taketh euery paynted stocke & stone for their God, besydes the small breades that their lecherouse chaplaynes hath blowen vpon. They shall not be vnwyse, that shall marke herin, what commodyte it is, or what profyght myght growe to a christen cōmen welthe if youth were thus brought vp in vertu & good letters. If soch frutes come forewarde in chyldehode, what wyll folowe and apere whan dyscressyon and yeares shall be more rype and auncyent? A most manyfest sygne of Godlynesse is it in the fryndes, where youth is thus instytute, and a token of wonderfully faythfull dylygence, in the studyouse teachers, tuters, and dayly lokers on.
Lerned.
Clauses added.
Nobylyte whych she hath gotē of bloude in the hyghest degre, hauynge a most vyctoryouse kynge to her father, & a most vertuouse, & lerned kynge agayne to her brother, is not in the earely sprynge dystayned with wanton ignoraūce, neyther yet blemyshed with the commen vyces of dyssolute youth, But most Plenteously adourned with all kyndes of languages, lernynges, and vertues, to holde it styll in ryght course. The translacyon of thys worke, were euydence stronge ynough, if I had not els to laye for the matter. But marke yet an other moch more effectuall and clere, at the whych not a fewe lerned men in Germany haue wondered. In .iiij. noble languages, Latyne, Greke, Frenche, and Italyane, wrote she vnto me these clauses folowynge. Whych I haue added to thys boke, not only in commendacyon of her lerned youth, but also as an example to be folowed of other noble men and women, cōcernynge their chyldren. The written clauses are these, whych she wrote first with her owne hande, moch more fynely than I coulde with anye prentynge letter set thē fourth.